OutKast hit causes concern for Polaroid

[Shawn]

Polaroid Corp. is advising its customers not to "shake it," despite what hip hop group OutKast says in the hit song Hey Ya.

The lyrics of the song include this line: "Shake it like a Polaroid picture."

But on its website (polaroid.custhelp.com), the company says shaking or waving a Polaroid picture to help the development process dates back to the early days of peel-apart film.

"After peeling the negative, the image needed to dry before it could be handled, so waving the photo helped it to dry more quickly."

Current Polaroid cameras work differently, the company says.

"The image develops and dries behind a clear plastic window and never touches the air, so shaking or waving has no effect.

"In fact, shaking or waving can actually damage the image," the company warns. "Rapid movement during development can cause portions of the film to separate prematurely, or can cause 'blobs' in the picture."

The proper technique, Polaroid says, is to lay the picture on a flat surface after it exits the camera. "Shield it from the wind and avoid bending, twisting or otherwise disturbing it during development."

Source: Jam!

[Umma]

"After peeling the negative, the image needed to dry before it could be handled, so waving the photo helped it to dry more quickly."

yeah those old cameras were built like bricks .... you had to put the pic in a metal sandwich thing and stick it somewhere warm (like an armpit) for so many minutes before you got to peel and shake...

[paladin]

Yeah, I never knew Polaroid still made those quick developing pictures. It's all digital know anyways.

[Shawn]

I'm the same Paladin. I didn't realize they still made those cameras until recently.